Betty Jane Robinson Hilliard | 1925 - 2013 | Obituary

Shreveport, LA - Betty Jane Robinson Hilliard, age 87, died peacefully on Sunday, February 3, 2013, in Shreveport Louisiana after a lengthy illness. Visitation will be held from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 6, at Osborn Funeral Home. Funeral services will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 7, 2013, in the Chapel of Osborn. Officiating will be Pastor David Daniel of Celebration Church. Interment will follow at Christ Church Cemetery in Bastrop, Louisiana.
Mother was born on June 5, 1925, in Monroe, Louisiana but was raised in Bastrop, Louisiana by Furman Parvin Robinson and Claudine Richmond Robinson who preceded her in death. After high school graduation, she attended Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA and graduated in May 1946 and on June 21, 1946 married Frederick Carpenter Boykin, MD who preceded her in death. They lived in New York City, Wilmington, Delaware and eventually moved to Shreveport in 1951 where she became a competent doctor’s wife and raised her family. They were divorced in 1979 and she is survived by her son, Frederick Carpenter Boykin, Jr. and his wife Jane and granddaughter Hannah Louise of Decatur, Georgia; daughter Barbara Ann Boykin of Bossier City, Louisiana, and grandson William Riley Roggero, of Shreveport, Louisiana and granddaughter Aubrie Marie Patton and her husband Todd, of Houston, Texas. Her Aunt Doris Richmond Soard and husband Hartsell preceded her in death but she is survived by her Colorado family: Hartsell “Buzz” Soard, and wife, Melanie Soard of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, and their children Brooke Patterson, and husband Patrick, of Parker, Colorado, and Evan Soard, and his wife Laura of Steamboat Colorado and also her Mid America family: Suzanne Doris Good, who preceded her in death, and her husband Larry of Hays, Kansas; and their children, Jeffrey Good of Overland Park, Kansas; Gretchen Good McIlnay and her husband, Bradley of Leawood, Kansas, and Heather Good Holmes and husband Steven of Kansas City, Missouri, and by eleven great cousins.
On July 15, 1987 she married Eugene Louis Hilliard, Jr. who preceded her in death. She is also survived by her stepchildren, Eugene Louis Hilliard, III, and his wife, Patricia Bellinger Hilliard, her step-grandchildren, Eugene Louis Hilliard IV and wife Sarah McVea Hilliard and their children Eugene Louis Hilliard V and Conrad McVea Hilliard, John Bellinger Hilliard and wife, CeCe; brother-in-law, Frank Vernon Hilliard, who preceded her in death, and his wife Aimee; step-niece, LiLin Haily and husband, Mark and their twin daughters, MayaLin and Simone Collette.
Mom was a beautiful woman and she lived by her oft repeated phrase “Pretty is as pretty does” as she was just as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. She was petite but feisty, loving to all, full of fun, and always had a twinkle in her eye. She was devoted to her family and her presence in our lives is a gift we will always be thankful for. Known to her grandchildren as "Mimi", she delighted in sharing her love of good food, afternoon naps and forever open embraces. She traveled the world taking pictures with her late husband Gene, but her most treasured spot on earth was the beach and her modest cottage on Cotton Bayou at Alabama Point, Alabama. Built in 1953 near the end of the road at Perdido Pass by her father, the Robinson’s Last Resort hosted a multitude of family and friends through the years. Mimi spent many summers teaching her children and grandchildren how to catch crabs, fish and enjoy the wonders of the Gulf of Mexico. She also enjoyed a stiff scotch, football and getting to know all who crossed her path.
She was a member of First Presbyterian Church, as well as the Women’s Auxiliary to the Shreveport Medical Society, Woman’s Department Club, Shreveport Symphony Guild, Demoiselle Club, Cotillion Club, Shreveport Club, Colonial Dames and the Daughters of the American Revolution throughout her years in Shreveport.
Honoring Betty as pallbearers will be Fred Boykin, Will Roggero, Todd Patton, Jimmy Patton, Gene Hilliard, and John Hilliard. The family requests that memorials be sent to Celebration Church, 1796 E. Bert Kouns, Shreveport, LA, 71105; First Presbyterian Church, 900 Jordan Street, Shreveport, LA, 71101; Decatur Presbyterian Church, 205 Sycamore Street, Decatur GA, 30030, or the charity of your choice.
The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to her most compassionate physician, Dr. Germain Cassiere, for all his years of expert medical care. But most of all we would like to express our deepest appreciation to St. Joseph Hospice, the excellent staff and aides at Montclair Park and for Betty’s guardian angels and best of friends who with their kind, gentle and loving ways took such good care of her in these last few years especially Ella Allums, Mary Allums, Myrtle Bedford, Debbie Graham, Linda Green, Tressie Haynes, Willie Mae Jackson, Tabatha McConnell, Virginia Murphy, Elcena Pegues, Daisy Pinkney, and Robin O’Bannon.